Ukrainian forces have recaptured the village of Andriivka in the eastern Donetsk region, according to the country’s military, amid intense battles with Russian troops. The village, located about six miles south of the Russia-occupied town of Bakhmut, is the latest gain for Kyiv in its counter-offensive, which has seen slow but steady gains by Ukrainian forces. The 3rd Assault Brigade announced the capture of Andriivka, describing it as a “lightning operation” that saw the Russian garrison in the village destroyed over two days.
The capture of Andriivka is seen as a breakthrough on the southern flank of Bakhmut, which has been the site of the war’s longest and bloodiest engagement. Ukrainian forces have been seeking to envelop Bakhmut from the south and the north, gaining ground yard by yard over the past three months. The village’s recapture comes weeks after an important tactical victory for Ukrainian forces in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, where they punctured through Russia’s first line of defense and recaptured the village of Robotyne.
The gains in the south are considered more strategically significant since they bring Ukrainian troops closer to the shores of the Sea of Azov, where they could try to cut the land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014. Isolating Crimea would divide the Russian-occupied territory in southern Ukraine and undermine Russian supply lines.
Village of Andriivka
Despite the gains, the fighting in and around Bakhmut has been intense, with both sides suffering heavy losses. Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has said that Ukraine has regained 19 square miles of land around Bakhmut since the start of the counter-offensive in June. The recapture of Andriivka comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit the US next week, where he will meet with President Joe Biden and Congress to discuss the need for continued military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
